Built Quote by Walker Evans
“Science has discovered much. The engineering is wonderful, epicycles and all. And yet, as we look at this vast, elaborate structure built on layer and layer of complex constituents, can we help but be reminded of the Land of Oz. Have we found the Emerald City? Is this what we were searching for? Is this the ultimate fabric of reality? Is this all there is?”
About This Quote
Scientific progress reveals complex layers, yet we still question whether we’ve reached ultimate truth.
In simple terms: Science uncovers layers but leaves big questions.
Key Takeaway
Embrace humility in discovery.
Themes
knowledge
wonder
philosophy
Mood
inquisitive
contemplative
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- research labs
- philosophical debates
- personal reflection
Key Concepts
epistemology
cosmology
Questions to Reflect On
- What does the “Emerald City” symbolize for you?
- How do you balance awe with skepticism?
A Different Perspective
Complexity can obscure clarity.
![“I mean I think people prepared me for like a lot of green screen [in Oz the Great]. I didn't have a lot of green screen. They build most sets. When this castle was tangible, Emerald City was tangible, the forest, the woods was tangible, the cemetery, everything was there.” quote by Mila Kunis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/94a/mila-kunis-2198_castles_i-mean-i-think-people-prepared-me-for-li_963299.jpg)
![“[Jay] Gould sets up an artificial wall between the two worldviews that doesn't exist in my life. Because I do believe in God's creative power in having brought it all into being in the first place, I find that studying the natural world is an opportunity to observe the majesty, the elegance, the…” quote by Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/85d/richard-dawkins-115_artificial_jay-gould-sets-up-an-artificial-wall-bet_881270.jpg)
![“[Geology] opens up such wide intellectual vistas and supplies a more perfectly unified and more comprehensive conception of nature than any other science.” quote by Rosa Luxemburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d0b/rosa-luxemburg-8744_comprehensive_geology-opens-up-such-wide-intellectual_1243431.jpg)
![“What I believe is really good in the so-called documentary approach to photography is the addition of lyricism.[this quality] is usually produced unconsciously and even unintentionally and accidentally by the cameraman.” quote by Walker Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/bfe/walker-evans-14813_approach_what-i-believe-is-really-good-in-the-so_209744.jpg)
![“Nobody should touch a Polaroid [camera] until he's over sixty” quote by Walker Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ccc/walker-evans-14813_cameras_nobody-should-touch-a-polaroid-camera-un_963399.jpg)
